Charles Barkley is looking at the Lakers’ roster and seeing more than a team still trying to sort out its final pieces.
He believes Los Angeles is “probably better than people realize” and “just as good as the Mavericks team that reached the Finals,” a striking comparison given how far Dallas went last season. Luka Doncic led that Mavericks run to the 2024 NBA Finals, where they lost in five games to the Boston Celtics. Barkley’s point is clear: he thinks the Lakers already have more on hand than the public is giving them credit for.
That view lands at an interesting moment for the Lakers, because the roster is still not settled.
The team currently has 16 players on guaranteed contracts, one more than the maximum 15 allowed, which means someone has to go before the regular season begins. Dalton Knecht and Jarred Vanderbilt are the most likely candidates to be traded or cut, and both have been tied to possible moves as the Lakers continue looking for ways to upgrade the roster.
Jake Fischer has reported that the Lakers are still considering trades involving both players. The front office is also still searching for a wing or forward addition after missing out on Jonathan Kuminga, and the team has not ruled out bringing in another forward as it keeps working through its options.
That leaves Los Angeles in a familiar spot: trying to improve while also trimming down.
Knecht is the easier name to move on paper. His contract is cheaper, and it includes a team option for 2028, which makes him a more appealing trade piece. Vanderbilt presents a different kind of decision. He is owed $12.4 million this season and has a player option worth more than $13 million next year, and his status as a beloved teammate could make it harder for the Lakers to part with him.
There is also a basketball layer to Vanderbilt’s situation that makes the conversation more complicated. Last season, he took on a protector role for Doncic, and the two developed a close friendship. So while the Lakers are still weighing roster fit and salary structure, they are also dealing with the reality that one of the likeliest trade candidates is connected to the player who just carried Dallas to the Finals.
Barkley’s comparison to that Mavericks team gives the Lakers a different kind of measuring stick. Dallas reached the league’s biggest stage with Doncic at the center of everything. Los Angeles, meanwhile, is still trying to finish building its roster while deciding whether to move pieces that could help it get there.
For now, the Lakers are still in the middle of that process, with the season approaching and the roster not yet complete.